Atkin's Diet

[Munkay]

I think the image is a bit deceiving. The first image is indeed a crunch, not a sit up. The hip flexors don't appear to be used, and the lower back stays flat against the ground, and never arches. I think it becomes a sit up when the lower back comes off the ground, and/or the knees hit your mid thigh.

A slight bit off topic, I mentioned before my lower back is not a happy place and is generally weak. If you are very careful, weight training the back muscles can help immensely. I used to have nights where i had to lay flat on the ground, tucked with my thighs to my chest (so my back was fully straight on the ground) and would just wait for hours until the pain went away. I haven't had a reaccurance since I've built up my back muscles.

-Munk

I apologize for weak grammar, I just awoke from a nap. :huh:

[Malakar]

I have no idea, but don't most physical competitions have drug tests?

[Jeger]

Anyway, this is my understanding of how weight works. Everyone has their own natural metabolism, and their own natural "hunger rate". Your hunger rate cannot be changed except apparently by going through the stomach stapling surgery, but your metabolic rate can be increased by increasing muscle mass.

Not true for me at least. Part of the theory behind the South Beach diet (which I am on) is that you reduce the sugar conent of your blood, which reduces the insulin. Hi sugar leads to high insulin, which uses up all the sugar, and you get hungry.

I have found on the diet that I get hungry much slower, and get full much faster. That's one reason I love it.

I've been on a reverse diet for the last 15 years. It's not going too well though. I've only gained 10 pounds.

Hehe I was that way until about 40. In college I tried to gain weight to help control things in basketball. After weeks of eating myself silly, I lost weight. :/ For your sake, I hope you keep that characteristic, but if not, then try South Beach - it worked for me.

[Malakar]

Interesting.

[JustAGuy]

I'd just like to add my two cents to this thread.

Atkins is three-fold, and has always been three-fold:
1. Reduce carbohydrate intake
2. Excercise
3. Vitamin supplementation

People who don't do all three are not "doing Atkins". That list is not in order, but they are all required. Supplementation is definitely required, since people on Atkins don't get a lot of necessary vitamins from the food they're no longer eating, like fruits and breads.

Atkins is a four-phase diet:
1. Induction
2. Ongoing Weight Loss
3. Pre-Lifetime Maintenance
4. Lifetime Maintenance

First phase usually lasts two weeks, but you can stay on it for as long as you need. Some people have such a metabolic resistance to carbohydrates that they can never really eat more than 20g's of carbohydrates and still lose weight. Second phase is a gradual re-introduction of good carbohydrates; adding in at 5g intervals a week. People usually top out at 40-50g's of carbohydrate, some can go up to 90g's. Third phase is pretty much the same, except you add in at 10g intervals. Last phase, you should already know how much carbohydrate your body can handle, and basically live by it.

Now, does it work? Yes. Clearly it does, as I've lost 35 pounds in 2 months. Tens of thousands of people are doing it, and people have been doing it since 1977. I read the book from 1977, and it's basically the same book that was released a couple of years back. It's a very easy program, and if I had excercised more I would have lost more. But as another poster pointed out, it got boring after a while. I don't have patience to cook and experiment, so I end up eating the same thing over, hence getting bored after a while. The good thing about Atkins is the science behind it; after approximately 48 hours of not eating carbohydrates and only eating protein and fat, the body switches from a carbohydrate burning metabolism to a fat burning metabolism. That is, instead of getting the necessary sugar from carbs, it switches to its fat reserve. This is the state of lipolysis, with the secondary process of Ketosis aiding the fat burning. Ketosis is great; Ketones are released into the body, killing hunger pains and inducing a sense of well-being. It's quite fabulous; a number of times while on the program, I've forgotten to eat. Ketones are perfectly safe and natural; the only time that Ketones being generated being a bad thing is when Ketoacidosis is taking place, and that had to do with liver failure (unrelated to doing Atkins).

I'm not a massive fellow, I don't qualify as obese anymore, and I owe that to Atkins. I like to excercise, but eating the way I used to basically nullified the benefits of working out. I'm proud of what I've been able to do, and how easy it was to do it. The problem is that I'm quite bored with the same ol' same ol' and I'm not much of a cook... I've actually reverted to eating junk, but not as frequently as I did before. The good news is that I haven't gained any weight back (it's been a month and a half).

As far as the diet goes, the program is meant to be a lifestyle choice. It's something people do when their health is in danger. Your health is definitely in danger when you're overweight, and how much in danger you are is proprotional to how overweight you are. Studies have shown that bad cholesterol levels go down, and good cholesterol levels go up while on Atkins. Other good things start happening as well; diabetes can be controlled (type 1? Whatever the non-insulin dependent type is) and other medical risk factors disappear. Scientifically speaking, the reason for it is sound. I'm won't go into detail, but it has to do with carbs not being metabolized properly, only half turning into glucose and half turning into stored fat, and excess insulin being generated thereby lowering blood-sugar levels. Regulate carb intake and you in effect regulate your blood-sugar (insulin production). If you ingest a mega dose of carbohydrates, you produce a lot of insulin very quickly. All that extra insulin is absorbed by the body causing blood-sugar levels to drop, making the person feel run-down. Carbohydrate sensitive metabolisms over-produce insulin when too many carbohydrates enter the system; this over production, over time, will cause the pancreas to be reduced in effectiveness, and eventually cause it to stop functioning properly at all.

For a young guy I've been told I'm old fashioned; I've always beleived in moderation and exercise. Go figure.

I agree with you. I was discussing Atkins with some friends of mine and my one friend just said to me, "just eat in moderation and excercise. That's all you need to do."

I agreed with him then and I agree with you now. The problem is that it's not that simple. There's an imbalance in most people's eating habits and that imbalance has caused an imbalance in their metabolisms. Some people are sensitive to carbohydrates. Add to it that people are addicted to sugar, and you've got yourself a big "fat" problem. Once you figure out what moderate eating is for you, then you'll be fine. The problem is that most people think that the "4 servings of bread, 5 servings of fruit," or whatever the daily recommended servings are, are the right amounts for them. Fact is, those portions aren't necessarily correct. How many servings of Milk are required daily, and how many people are lactose intolerant? It's pretty much the same thing; some people are allergic to carbohydrates.

Moderation is definitely the key. The nice thing about Atkins is that it recognizes that all people have different levels they need to live by, and part of the program is finding that level. The tenets of Atkins are all good things; eat your vitamins (everyone needs 'em!), excercise, and eat in moderation. The only difference between this and another diets is that moderation is being measured in carbs and not fat. Fact is, certain fats are good for you, and cutting them out is a terrible idea (omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish, for example).

Atkins is a diet like any other. A diet will work so long as you stick with it. The problem is that people have this mentality that, "oh, I'll go on a diet to hit my target weight, then I'll be off the diet." What happens when you go "off the diet"? You go back to eating junk again? All diets (proper ones, that is) have a maintenance phase associated with them. Atkins is no different. Also, people are scared of what they don't understand. Why on earth would someone want to make false accusations and claims about something that is good for you (for most, anyway)?

I see Atkins as a tool to lose weight. It's also a way of life, but for me, all I need is moderation. The science is real, and studies have shown that a low carbohydrate diet is more effective than a low fat diet. A person's choice to do one diet over another is completely personal, and they should do whatever works for them, assuming they want to lose weight. Any diet will make you lose weight, just certain ones will work better for certain people. If someone has the will to lose the extra weight, then they will. It's what happens after the diet is done that is important.

Oh, Atkins didn't die from his own diet, and he wasn't fat when he died. Link: BBC

[LochnarITB]

I'd just like to add my two cents to this thread.

That's at least 4 cents! Well done! Thanks.

[JustAGuy]

That's at least 4 cents! Well done! Thanks.

Heh, yeah. I thought about that comment when I was proof reading my post... What was supposed to be "Atkins is safe, science says so, and more studies are coming out proving it" turned into something a tad longer.

There was a Dateline story on Atkins tonight. Some guy was suing Atkins' estate for damages, although not much. He claims he developed heart disease from doing Atkins. He claims he developed it from doing the program for a period of five years.

Now, Atkins isn't for everyone. My mother can't do it because she is fat-sensitive. This man didn't heed the warnings in the book; Atkins wrote that not everyone can do the diet, and certain modifications need to be made to the program for certain people. The man had a physical done before he started Atkins, and despite his family history of heart disease (!) he was given a clean bill of health and was told he had a 95% chance to NOT develop heart disease. He did Atkins and five years later, got it. I can't remember if he had a heart attack or not, but his major arteries were 90% clogged.

Now, his reasons for claiming that Atkins is bad seem a bit specious to me. He has a family history of heart disease, and he claims he was doing the program religiously, despite his own admission of eating cheesecake twice a week. Just because he has only a 5% chance to develop a heart condition, doesn't mean he won't. After all, his mother and sibling (if I recall correctly) both have heart disease. He's not suing for much (basically, medical costs, $15,000 or so), and he admits he's mainly suing for the publicity: he wants people to be aware that Atkins is "dangerous".

He believes firmly that Atkins was responsible for his heart problems, despite his family history. Seems clear to me that he is misguided. His specious reasoning is the cause, and I believe that if this goes to trial, he'll lose. To paraphrase the Simpsons:

"This rock keeps tigers away."
"How do I know it works?"
"Do you see any tigers around?"
"I'll pay $80 for it!"

[LochnarITB]

There was a Dateline story on Atkins tonight. Some guy was suing Atkins' estate for damages, although not much.

I saw that piece. The thing that struck me most, and that I quote from this article, was:

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday with the aid of the Washington-based group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

As the article goes on to say, these are the same people that "leaked" Dr. Atkins' autopsy. They promote a vegan diet and, I would imagine, Dr. Atkins would have to be very close to their anti-Christ. Of course they are going to push this guy to file just to further their message. I would be very hopeful that he would lose if it went to trial. Given his history and what studies are finally starting to show, he just does not have a leg to stand on.